Eek!!

I cannot believe it's been a month since I've made a post. I am SO sorry ladies! The time has just gotten away from me. I am going to try my hardest to begin to post more often.

A few things you should know...

-We are coming up on our ONE YEAR anniversary and I simply can't get over how this first year of marriage has gone! What a blessing it has been for us. We are so excited to see what else the Lord has in store for us as we continue on in our journey!

-We won the vacation contest we were in!!! Thank you so very much to those of you who voted for us, we couldn't have done it without you! Because of this amazing contest, we will be able to spend our one year anniversary in Hilton Head Island, SC! This is such a blessing for us and we are so excited to get to go back to where we spent our first week as husband and wife!

-While I have been absent from posting I have been very busy here at home and of course with work as well. Here are a few of the things I've been working on lately....

Solar landscape lights my mother-in-law gave us. The left hand side are the before shots. The left are the after. They were spray painted with silver paint and then I put a clear coat on them for protection. Now they look new and they look great along the sidewalk to the front door!
My flower bed! I absolutely LOVE gardening!! And when Home Depot had a huge sale on their summer annuals I knew I had to get some. The large pink plant on the left is a candy stripe creeping phlox and it was planted last year and has more than tripled in size! Besides the Phlox, there are Petunias, Violas, a yellow Gerbera Daisy, Dianthus, Celosia, and two different varieties of Hosta.
Charles also picked out this beautiful Dwarf Rhododendron and he also picked out a Cherry Tomato plant so we are hoping that does well so we have them to snack on this summer!

I designed this mosaic stained glass table top, cut the pieces to fit, glued them down and then grouted it!

I've been enjoying spending time with my niece Daisy when I am able to...love her tons!!

And this beauty has adopted us and we are trying to find him/her a home as we cannot afford to have a pet right now. One of Charles's co-workers is considering taking "kitty" (my name for him/her).

So that's a quick look at what I've been up to lately and so much more! I'll restart the wedding recaps in a few days so stay tuned!

Again...

So here I am yet again apologizing for not posting in what seems forever. I'm so sorry I can't seem to keep up with my blog as of late. I'm still without a job and without easy access to hi-speed internet.

To say things are stressful and tight financially without a job doesn't even begin to cut it. And despite all that, the wedding is drawing ever closer. When I started planning, I never in a million years would have guessed I'd be unemployed. It's a huge challenge and is adding a lot of unneeded stress.

Time just seems to be getting away from me lately. I don't know where it's going! lol Christmas is under two weeks away and that is scaring the crap out of me! lol We have less than five months to go until the wedding and I know the big day is going to creep up on us FAST!

I haven't really worked on anything wedding related lately. My family has two birthdays in October and two in November (mine included) and then Thanksgiving and now Christmas and I just got back from a wonderful vacation with my sweetie! Things have been super busy for me.

However, I have gotten a few things done. My groom to be and his best man did get their measurements taken care of. My mom got her MOB dress ordered, I let my girls know what dresses they can pick, and I've shared the info about the flower girl dresses to one of the girls parents.

In any case, I'm sorry again for the lack of posting and will try and do better. For those of you who are sticking around...THANKS!

Save-the-Date!

So last week I was FINALLY able to get our save-the-date e-mails out! As you may remember, I had thought about sending them out months ago before we got our engagement pictures. I'm SO glad that I waited and I'm so glad they're finally sent. It was sooo easy to do them as e-mails! I highly recommend this option....cause it's FREE! Most everyone these days has an e-mail account so you're still able to reach everyone.
Here is what I designed....

(Source: yours truly)

So I think I owe you all a few updates....
1.) I am still unemployed. The job search has been nothing short of frustrating, disappointing and hard.
2.) Two good things have come out of being unemployed...I have been able to spend more time with Charles and I have been able to work on my stained glass (yes, I'm a stained glass artist!) more. To see my work check out Kristal Kreations on Facebook and become a fan!
3.) I still do not have regular access to hi-speed internet.
4.) I miss all of your blogs terribly, you have no idea!! I try and check in when I can but my dial-up just takes AGES and won't allow me to comment or anything!
5.) Even though I have tons of wedding projects and decisions taken care of, it still seems like I have an overwhelming about of things left to do! lol
6.) I feel bad that I have not been able to blog often.
7.) I promise to get better about posting more regularly!

Bridal Show and the big 3-0!

Sunday my mom and I attended the Knoxville Premier Bride Bridal show and had a blast! We got to sit in a 1958 Silver Cloud Rolls-Royce and it was amazing! I felt like royalty! It is one of only 25 that were ever made. It would be a dream to drive away a married couple in that fabulous beauty!! Here are a few pictures I took of the car:

My beautiful mom with the beautiful Rolls-Royce! (Source: yours truly)
The unmistakable grill of the Rolls-Royce. (Source: yours truly)

We also took advantage of the use of a photo booth free of charge! I swear to you, if I had the budget for it I would soo have a photo booth at our wedding!

My incredible mom and me! (Source: Knoxville Photo Booth)

I also found an incredible company that preserves your bouquet along with lots of other keepsake items. I am definitely going to use this companies services because the results are amazing! Not only do they preserve your bouquet but they also preserve the grooms bout. Plus they can add your cake topper, garter, hairpiece, a copy of your invitation, the grooms tie, and anything else you want preserved. The frames they are placed have a domed cover that prevents everything from being smashed and give it all an overall incredible look! Check out their website to see their amazing work!

(Source: Flowers Forever)

During the David's Bridal fashion show that was held at the bridal show, mom and I saw a dress that caught our attention. It was a stunning silver dress that we both just LOVED for my mom. We're planning on making a trip to David's on Friday so she can try the dress on so more on that later.

Ok, now on to the big 3-0! I have finally reached 30 followers!!! I am so excited and can't believe you all find my ramblings interesting enough to follow along! I apologize that there hasn't been much blogging on my part and will try to get back into the swing of things. Honestly, I haven't done much of anything wedding related since I found out I was going to be temporarily laid off. But now that the inital shock of all that has for the most part passed, I'll get with the program. I terribly miss reading all of your lovely blogs. I seriously went through some withdrawl when I had to stop reading. My stupid dial-up interent just will not allow me to keep up with you all. Posting this blog is hard enough! I want to thank you all though for hanging in there with me while I go through this trying time. And as always, those of you who pray keep my job situation in your prayers please!

Engagement Pictures....

have been postponed. :( Sadly because of the oh so hot weather and a chance of rain we decided to cancel our scheduled session yesterday. It was sad but I'm glad we decided to wait. We were supposed to meet our photographers at 5:00 to start and by 5:30 it was thundering and lightning really badly.

Due to postponing, we've decided to have our pictures done up at Cades Cove in the National Park. We don't have a new date just yet but I'll keep you posted. Charles and I headed up to the Cove yesterday and scoped out places to get shots and found a lot of awesome spots! So while it was sad to have to cancel yesterday I think it was for the best. We cannot wait until we can get our pictures!

And to update you all on my job situation....I am officially on the search for a job. So those of you who pray please pray I find one soon to fill the gap while I'm laid off. Thanks!

Happy One Year Anniversary Baby!

One year already. I simply cannot believe it! It seems like just yesterday when we began talking, first met and started dating. It is unimaginable to me that in just one short year I have found you...the love of my life! And to think, we're engaged and will be getting married in just over 9 months! Before we know it, we'll be married and celebrating our one year marriage anniversary. I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else by my side. You are incredible and I love you more than I can possibly begin to say. As corny as it may sound, you truly do complete me! Happy anniversary sweetheart, I love you so much!

Job or No Job?

That is the question. And right now I just don't know the answer. Due to some very unexpected circumstances at work we no longer have offices to work out of. (At this time I cannot go into more detail.)

As I sit here at home and type this I'm still in disbelief that this has happened. If I do end up losing my job, I have no idea what I'll do. And I have no idea how I'll pay for this wedding I'm in the middle of planning. I was already going to go into debt a due to wedding costs and if I lose my job that debt is sure to grow.

As a result of all this, I will not be online much. I no longer have access to high speed internet. Where we live - in the sticks - nothing but dial-up internet is offered. And it is just way to much of a pain to even check my e-mail!

On a positive note, I have the most incredible fiance in the entire world! Yesterday evening once the job news finally had a chance to sink in Charles was right there with me. Letting me cry in his arms, kissing me on the forehead, telling me I'm beautiful as black is running down my face from my mascara, comforting me, praying with me, assuring me things will work out, just holding me tight and telling me he loves me. I really don't understand how he can tell me I'm beautiful when I'd been working for hours packing things up and was so gross and sweaty and then once the tears started to flow and I had mascara running down my face. He truly is incredible and I'm so thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

So anyways, those that pray please keep me and my job situation in your prayers.
Thanks,
Kristal

Solution?

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I think I may have found a solution to the S&K Menswear saga!

There's a company called Jim's Formal Wear that carries the EXACT SAME suit that we were wanting from S&K! They don't have their own stores, instead they have authorized retailers. I did a search for retailers and was floored when my bridal salon A Joyous Occasion was listed as a retailer! Woo hoo!

Now, I still have to call and get some information and make sure they do rentals with the suits and stuff but I'm so glad I've already found the suit somewhere else! Oh and it's not just the suit, they have the shirt and the shoes we want as well! Score! So this afternoon I will be calling Joyous to get the details!

Oh and I have other good news regarding my Not Enough Time post! Much to my astonishment, yesterday while Charles and I were texting just before I left work he surprised me by saying that he's going to stop going to church on Wednesdays so we can have Wednesdays for wedding planning!! Yay!!

Now please understand that church is extremely important to me and him as well. Our church background is different, he's been going to Sunday service and the Wednesday evening service for years at his church. I however, was not brought up in a home where we attended Wednesday service. I'm not saying it's not needed or anything like that, it's just not something I attend. Anyways, I was very thankful of this news and am so glad we'll have a day set aside for wedding planning now. Oh and it means more time with my sweetie too!

Were you able to find solutions to unexpected problems quickly?

Not Enough Time

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This little update might get on the long side so get comfy!

I feel like I'm falling behind in my wedding planning blogging (and planning itself) and I don't like it one bit! I realize that the wedding is 11 months away. Some of you I'm sure are saying why in the world are you worried? 11 months is a long ways a way. Unless you've planned a wedding before you have NO idea what all it involves. And when you're planning on doing as much as humanly possible DIY (as I am) that complicates things so much more complicated and time consuming. Not to mention that the 11 months till the wedding will FLY BY and will be here in the blink of an eye. Wedding planning is a full time job (I already have one so I'm now I'm working two).

I have been uber busy...with non wedding related stuff. As mush as I'd like for it to, life goes on while you're in the middle of planning the most important day of your life. Laundry still needs to be done, dishes still need to be washed, the house still needs to be cleaned, the dogs still need to be walked.bathed.given hair cuts.fed, I still have to show up at work 5 days a week for 8 hours, church is still every Sunday morning, and the list goes on and on and on! Now, thankfully I'm still living at home with my mom and we share all these responsibilities, so that makes it a bit easier.

For weeks I've been needing to take pictures of our toasting flutes, cake serving set, the guys socks, and the gifts for the flower girls. And yet they still haven't been taken. I just haven't had the time. I was hoping to already have the save-the-dates e-mailed by now and that hasn't even happened. Today was the first day I was even able to begin working on a rough draft guest list. And that list is only for my side of the family and my friends. Charles and I haven't been able to sit down to work on his part of the list yet. And we won't be able to do so for at least two more weeks because he's getting ready to go out of town! Ugh.

We have so much we need to work on together (example: getting ideas for our registries...more on that another time, guest list, invitation wording ideas, etc). But we have literally NO time to do it. I feel like I'm planning our wedding without him and I don't like that feeling at all. I've tried to include him in the decision making process up to this point but when you have less than 8 hours a week (yes...LESS THAN EIGHT HOURS A WEEK) with your fiance that makes it nearly impossible.

I feel it's time to share one of my big stress factors with you all....
Charles is a Police Communications Officer (Dispatch Officer) for one of the local police departments. He works second shift (1:45pm - 10:15pm). Doesn't sound so bad does it now? Well, factor in this stuff:
1) he works that schedule every week from Thursday - Monday (he has Tuesday and Wednesday off)
2) I work Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm (and have Saturday and Sunday off)
3) both our schedules are set and never change.
4) Wednesday nights he attends the evening service at his long time church (Sunday he attends with me...well he will be within the next few weeks)
What does that all equal:
1) Tuesday is our date night.
2) I get to his house at around 5:30pm on Tuesday evenings and leave that night at various times depending on how tired he is/I am. (It's probably an average of 5 hours we have together.)
3) Wednesdays I get to his house at 5:30pm and leave at 6:30 so he can get to church on time. (That's just one hour together.)
4) Sunday's for church I won't really count. While we are together and we are learning, worshiping and growing in the Lord (the most important things we could be doing), it's just not the same.

So that gives us a grand total of roughly 6-7 hours together a WEEK! Adding church on to that would still only bring us to 8-9 hours together tops.

I'm sorry but that's just not enough! This fact of us having so little time together is really wearing on us both. In the very beginning of our relationship, we both agreed that the limited time was a blessing in disguise (yeah it totally sucked but we felt it was a good thing). Having limited time in the beginning allowed things to move at a slow and steady pace, it kept us from moving too fast, kept us from getting too physical, etc. However now, it is killing us. I suppose it could be worse than this but it's just so hard.

He is the man I want to have children with, grow old with, have grandbabies with, I want to go to sleep next to him and wake next to him and so on. I want to be with him as much as I possibly can. But because of our schedules, that is oh so limited. Sometimes I seriously toy with the idea of going down to the court house to get married so we can really be together. See, we are what is now considered old fashioned in the thinking that we should not sleep together let alone live together before we are married.

Anyways, I think I'll wrap this up now and stop boring you with all my whining. Needless to say, it's extremely hard not to have more time with my love, not to have more time to plan our wedding together and so on.

Is the time you have with your fiance limited and out of your control? How does it play in to your wedding planning?

Road Block...err Detour

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So I've come across my first road block when it comes to wedding planning. But I think I'd rather call it a detour instead.

A few weeks ago my boss informed me that the company would no longer be paying for my health insurance. They had been paying it 100% to the tune of $303.00 a month. I was so thankful that they were covering it for me. Because they had been covering that cost I was able to save about $400.00 a month for wedding costs. I was so thrilled that I would be able to cover the entire cost of the wedding without going into debt! I figured that if I saved $400 every month for 14 months that I would have $6,000.00 come the wedding. Well, obviously I wouldn't have it but I would have been able to keep that money available for when I needed to purchase something.

Anyways, now because my company is no longer covering ANY percentage of my insurance I'm unable to save $$. And to top it all off, they had to get a new policy and it's more expensive than what they were paying. I'm dishing out just under $350 a month for health insurance now. I was sooo frustrated, upset and angry when I initially found out. I've now simmered down about it. lol I know the Lord is going to work it all out and provide what I need. And if I have to put stuff on credit I guess it isn't the end of the world....right?

I've still got to draw up a new personal budget so I can see if I'm able to save at least a small amount each month. Because lets face it, a little is better than nothing at all! That way if I have to take the credit route I can make the minimum payments with no problem. So we'll see what ends up happening.

What road blocks/detours/snags have you come across in your wedding planning?